The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay - Xbox

Got packs, screens, info?
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (Xbox)
Viewed: 3D First-person Genre:
Adventure
Media: DVD Arcade origin:No
Developer: Starbreeze Soft. Co.: Vivendi
Publishers: Microsoft (GB)
Vivendi (GB/US/AU)
Released: 1 Jun 2004 (US)
22 Jun 2004 (AU)
13 Aug 2004 (GB)
Unknown (GB)
Ratings: PEGI 16+
Accessories: Xbox Memory Unit
Contributors:Jesse

Summary

Vin Diesel, considered by many to have replaced Schwarzenegger as the action man of choice, has risen to fame quickly through a series of fast-paced movie thrillers over the past several years. And his latest action flick, The Chronicles of Riddick, serves to reaffirm his Hollywood status. Moreover, Chronicles of Riddick has been delivered on Xbox in the form of a solid FPS from developer Starbreeze.

As the famed super-hero bad boy, you have one singular goal: to escape from the most brutal prison in the galaxy - the aptly named Butcher Bay. Played primarily from a first-person perspective, players must use their wit, shooting and stealth abilities in order to survive this new nightmare.

Riddick borrows elements from a number of well-known franchises, and the finished article shows them off brilliantly. For example, hiding in shadows is a prolific play mechanic here, and in this respect Riddick isn't that dissimilar to Eidos' Thief games. Then there's the FPS side of things - nothing that hasn't been seen in thousands of other adventures, but fun nonetheless. And finally, Riddick also bears similarities to Konami stealth-em-up Metal Gear Solid. Aside from preying in dark corners, players will at times have to sneak up on their enemies to snap their necks, for example.

There's a lot of hype surrounding Riddick's first videogame instalment, but on the whole, it's justified. Arguably a better game than a Hollywood film, Chronicles of Riddick for Xbox boasts involving action sequences, gorgeous visuals, and a good straightforward plot. All in all, it's just good, clean (or dirty) fun.